Brazil: Covid-19 is progressing, poverty is falling

A person rummaging through one of the largest landfills in Latin America in Lixao da Estrutural (illustrative image).

AFP / Sergio Lima

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro extended emergency aid to the poor for four months.

This aid, which made it possible to fight poverty while the coronavirus, in addition to the many victims, plunged the economy into recession.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in São Paulo,

Emergency aid, dubbed the “coronavoucher”, has saved more than 20 million Brazilians from falling into poverty.

It would even have avoided an increase in inequalities, according to independent studies.

Since April, the state has paid around 100 euros to more than 50 million people, or about 30% of the population.

This aid was extended, but with an amount of around 50 euros, until the end of the year.

Popular popularity

This is a decree-law by President Jair Bolsonaro, who has benefited, thanks to his social policy, from a resurgence in popularity, especially in the poor areas of the Nordeste, which have always supported the left of the former President Lula.

Jair Bolsonaro also wants to develop a new program which includes the famous “Bolsa Familia”, created by Lula, and which will give him a new symbol for his 2022 campaign.

But until then, his government will have to manage to control the pandemic, as Brazil has more than 4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, which has already killed 125,000.

► To read also: Brazil facing the coronavirus: authoritarianism and politics of denial

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Brazil

• Coronavirus

On the same subject

Coronavirus: in Brazil, President Bolsonaro attacks journalists again

Coronavirus: Brazil crosses 100,000 dead mark

Coronavirus: Brazil re-authorizes the arrival of foreigners by plane